Team Building
by Heather McFey
Summary: TM, told from the point of view of CTU agent Layla. Looking at Tony n Michelle from the outside.


_I'm not sure what point on the timeline this fits but here it is. I've been working on it for a while and I just thought I'd see what you guys think. All the usual stuff applies as to who owns the characters (Tony and Michelle aren't mine). Enjoy!_

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_It wasn't the sort of job where you socialised with your colleagues. Not like the bar she had worked at all through college where you'd have a few drinks together after closing. Or her very brief stint working at a clothes store back homewhere they had a very wild Christmas party. Government agents just didn't see each other outside of work. Mainly, she thought, because you saw each other enough inside of work. So when she had received a memo from Director Almeida suggesting that they all go out for a few drinks that night she had been taken aback. Especially as Tony Almeida didn't strike her as the type of person who wanted to be friends outside of the office. Mike in IT had told her that his ex-girlfriend was exposed as a traitor. Layla could see how that might damage your relationships with your colleagues. 

Layla wasn't sure if she was going to go. If she was very honest with herself she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing there at all. She was a programmer, could easily have gotten a job at Microsoft developing new games on a very healthy salary. It was her father who had talked her into the interview at CTU. Although she was flattered that they were wooing her she wasn't even going to consider it. But her dad was so proud that his daughter was going to work for the government, protecting the country, that she agreed to the interview even if it was just to pacify him. Never in a million years did she expect to be hired, and not in a million more did she expect to accept the position. It was Michelle Dessler who had interviewed her. Layla had been pleasantly surprised by Michelle, expecting to be met by a very serious man who had been in the business for years and had the personality of a plank of wood. She found that she actually quite liked Michelle. She was friendly but had an air about her that you knew she wouldn't take shit and that was Layla's kind of person. It wasn't Michelle, however, who had swung Laylas vote in favour of the job at CTU. In fact it was the very same man who had just sent a circular asking everyone out for drinks. Tony had interrupted the interview about half way through to ask Michelle a question. He had introduced himself and politely shook Laylas hand before asking to borrow Michelle for a minute. Layla was smitten. He was gorgeous and polite and very successful. And with that she decided to give the job a try, a trial period to see if she liked it. Now six months down the line she found herself sitting at her desk staring at an email from the man she was ever so slightly infatuated with, wondering how she should reply. She decided on a casual "sounds good" and then phoned her flatmate to say she wouldn't be home for their chick-flick-athon later that night.

The bar he had chosen was very fitting. It was dark and slightly dirty with large leather booths and an old wooden bar. As she scanned the bar for her colleagues Layla decided that it was certainly a very Tony bar. Spotting a few familiar faces she headed over to the corner and sat down. Tony was already there, he looked like maybe he'd already had a few drinks and smiled at her. He really did have a killer smile, the kind that made you want to melt into a little warm puddle. The waiter came over and she ordered a glass of wine. The wine helped to ease her into the situation and she soon found herself chatting away to her colleagues. Martin was telling her about his two kids and Jeff, whose first name she had only just learned, was talking about his girlfriend problems. More and more people arrived and she was surprised to actually find herself enjoying the night. The more the drinks flowed the more animated the conversation became. Tony was re-enacting a mission for them all and Andrew was doing impersonations of Chloe, who unsurprisingly had not turned up.

She went over to join some of the girls from IT who were discussing office romances. Layla listened contently as they told of past encounters and the conversation naturally evolved to the current office. Shannon informed them that she had had a one night thing with Tim which Layla found very amusing. Tim was hardly what you would call a stud and she was surprised that he even knew girls existed. She decided to bring Tony up and see if she could find out any useful information, like maybe what music he was into so she could talk to him about it later.

"He's hot." Was Shannon's contribution, which was no good as Layla already knew this. Layla mentioned that she had heard about his office romance.

"You mean his current one or the old one?" Amy had asked. Current one? What current one? She must have looked very confused because the girls began to elaborate.

"Well hello!" Shannon had piped up, "You must have felt the vibes!" Layla wondered how someone who worked in IT could possibly talk as though she had just left high school.

"Michelle!" Amy had finished. "Oh come on, you must have seen it. They're always staring at each other and talking on the phone."

"They're lusting each other. Why do you think we're here tonight?" Layla had no idea what they were talking about and she said so.

"Duh!" Came Shannons reply, "Tony has been sitting with Michelle _all_ night. Just look at them! I can't even believe you haven't noticed. Everyone knows!"

Layla looked over to the booth where her boss sat. He was dangerously close to Miss Dessler, his arm was stretched out along the back of the chair and she was leaning into him. They were surrounded by a large group of people but were talking between themselves. Layla watched as Tony said something and Michelle laughed, then Tony smiled down at her. That smile, the one that could melt people and he was showing it only to Michelle. She suddenly thought of the many times she had looked up at Tony's office and seen Michelle there with him. The many times he had been at Michelle's station, looking over her shoulder at the screen. How they always stood slightly closer than necessary. How Michelle alwaysgot givenweekends off when everyone else had to come in. How could she have not seen it? You just had to look at the two of them to see it. Shannon and Amy had moved on and were now discussing which shampoos worked best on frizzy hair. Layla sighed and excused herself. Tomorrow she would start looking for a job at Microsoft. She really didn't belong at CTU.


End file.
